Saros Review

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Okay, so Housemarque – the folks who make seriously addictive games – are back with another one! It’s got that classic feel of dodging tons of projectiles, blasting enemies, and, let’s be real, dying a lot. But that’s the point – you learn from each death and get better. This time around, the story throws you into the role of researchers who crash land on this crazy alien planet called Carcosa, and the game looks amazing. The art style is really grabbing my attention.

You’ll play Arjun Devraj, a tough enforcer portrayed by Rahul Kohli. Arjun is determined to find his former love, Nitya Chandran, who has unexpectedly ended up on the same planet – and revealing why would spoil the story.

Saros’ gameplay is heavily reminiscent of Returnal. It feels very much like a sequel to Housemarque’s roguelite, sharing many of the same core mechanics: you explore, fight enemies, become more powerful with upgrades and new gear, and try to survive as long as possible.

When you return to the safe house, the resources you’ve collected are added to your total, letting you permanently improve Arjun’s skills and abilities through a skill tree. This differs from Returnal, which emphasized a more traditional roguelike experience without permanent upgrades.

The skill tree is effective in this game. Each skill you unlock boosts a core stat – like Resilience, Command, or Drive – which directly impacts gameplay. For instance, increasing your Drive stat means you’ll earn more Lucenite (the in-game currency) when you defeat enemies. Resilience focuses on your health and damage resistance, while Command increases your overall power.

Okay, let’s just get this out there: Saros has absolutely zero build variety. Honestly, it’s a bummer, just like Returnal. You’re pretty much stuck with whatever the game gives you, and there’s no real freedom to experiment with different abilities or playstyles. It’s frustrating because I like being able to customize my character!

The game focuses on shooting enemies, and each playthrough follows a similar pattern: you go out, defeat enemies, improve your character and weapons, and try to survive.

I was a little let down by how limited the character builds were in Saros. I’d hoped for more complex gameplay, especially since there are so many roguelites out there that really shine with diverse and engaging playstyles.

Saros features a variety of weapons, and you can collect artifacts that offer minor benefits. However, these additions are fairly unremarkable and mostly just change how you carry out specific tasks.

After a few hours playing Saros, my decisions stopped being strategic. I just ran around, constantly searching for better crossbows and shooting anything that moved.

Saros is still an enjoyable game, even if it doesn’t require much creativity. Its simple gameplay might seem repetitive, but it actually works effectively.

Saros, like Returnal, focuses on quick reflexes and making fast decisions during intense combat. The core gameplay involves dodging attacks, but Saros adds some new features and mechanics to build on that foundation.

Arjun can protect himself with a shield that absorbs blue energy, which charges his special ability meter. Once full, he can unleash powerful attacks. However, yellow energy is harmful – getting hit by it causes corruption. Corruption prevents you from regaining health unless you remove it. Luckily, there are several ways to cleanse corruption, and the simplest is just using one of Arjun’s abilities.

Red balls are the most dangerous – they’re fast and inflict a lot of damage, and you can’t avoid them. However, Arjun eventually figures out how to deflect them, sending a powerful energy blast back at his opponents.

Arjun is highly mobile, able to dodge attacks and use a grapple to quickly reach different areas. He eventually gains the ability to teleport between beams of sunlight found on the maps.

Saros isn’t particularly original – it follows a familiar roguelite formula. However, it’s still an enjoyable game, with well-crafted levels set in a variety of interesting environments.

The game features stunning environments with excellent art and level design, ranging from the city’s mechanical underground to murky swamps. It’s a visually impressive experience, enhanced by brilliant HDR and consistently smooth performance.

Battles can be quite challenging, and like in Returnal, you’ll probably find a weapon you really like and stick with it. I personally became attached to a crossbow – it was incredibly effective, even though it felt a little overpowered. The Repeater Crossbow, in particular, was easy to use: just hold down two buttons and watch the guided arrows eliminate enemies.

Sometimes the game felt too easy, to the point where I didn’t enjoy it. Enemies were no match for me, and I even felt like I could have finished the game at certain points in Saros with what I had. The forced resets to the gameplay, though, were a little frustrating since the story required them.

It simply gave me a chance to jump back in and try again, which was always exciting in Saros. The game really shines with its fast-paced action, blending unique ball-based combat, impressive weapons, smooth parkour, and a beautiful game world.

After getting comfortable with the game, completing a Saros run usually took around two hours. While there are checkpoints that let you skip directly to certain boss fights, I preferred completing the entire game each time. It allowed me to become more powerful and collect more Lucenite.

Eventually, even the boss battles became easy. I frequently beat them without getting damaged at all, which was really satisfying. That feeling of overcoming a previously difficult boss – one you struggled with repeatedly – and then defeating it flawlessly is a core part of what makes roguelite games so enjoyable, and this game definitely delivers on that.

Saros isn’t the most original roguelite out there, but it’s still really enjoyable and hard to put down. The fast-paced action and intriguing world make you want to keep playing, always hoping for ‘one more’ run.

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2026-05-04 22:16